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Waking up at noon... two months later?
Rey was caught completely off guard. It felt unbelievable.
On the flip side, despite the massive exhaustion he had felt before, he now felt more energetic than ever. He could faintly sense that his magic had grown stronger—not just his control over it, but his total magical reserves.
Getting stronger just by sleeping? That was like winning the lottery without even buying a ticket.
"Rowena, I slept for two months!?"
Staring at the letters in his hand, Rey asked internally, his mind wavering between shock and doubt.
"I told you before, call me Queen."
Rowena's familiar, snappish voice rang out. Her tone was thick with dissatisfaction, but after a brief pause, she asked rhetorically with a hint of resignation, "You are a true Black Dragon. Is sleeping for two months really such a strange thing?"
"What?"
Rey let out an involuntary gasp. Rowena's answer was just as shocking as the realization that two months had passed.
Regarding his confusion, Rowena continued, "What is the lifespan of a true Black Dragon? A nap lasting only two months is actually incredibly short."
Having quickly answered Rey's question, she added solemnly, "From now on, call me Queen."
Rey automatically filtered out the demand to change how he addressed her.
He wasn't a masochist. For a woman living rent-free in his mental world, he didn't see any connection between her and the title of "Queen."
---
Sleeping for two months straight was bizarre.
Setting aside whether he even had the ability to sleep that long, wouldn't Tom, Julia, and his other friends have checked on him? It seemed impossible that they would just ignore him for that long.
"You don't remember what happened before you fell asleep?"
Rowena's curious voice echoed in Rey's mind again. But every time she spoke, it only made Rey more confused. What did she mean? Why ask that?
From the moment he woke up until now, listening to Rowena made Rey suspect that this long slumber had made him stupid, leaving him unable to keep up with her train of thought.
"What did I do before I fell asleep?"
Feeling utterly helpless, Rey asked like a fool.
"You really don't know?" Rowena sounded skeptical.
"I really don't. Please, tell me."
Rey sighed. He wasn't used to this feeling of being completely in the dark.
"Heh, you dragons are truly interesting. The legends are actually true. Before a dragon goes into a deep slumber, their subconscious sets up a protective barrier. Or, they find a place they deem absolutely safe."
"Are you saying I set up a barrier that kept other people out of my room?" Rey asked in disbelief, grasping the implication of her words.
"Then how did Agnes's letters get in?" Rey scratched his head, confused again.
"That, I don't know. You'd have to ask your subconscious. Among the dragons I know of, when their power awakens, they find a relatively safe place to sleep. If they can't find such a place, they subconsciously erect a barrier. Judging by the length of your sleep this time, this should be your second time, right?"
The second slumber!
Then the first was...?
Rey's heart skipped a beat. He immediately remembered shortly after entering school, when he traveled back a thousand years... and the incident where he slept in the girls' dormitory.
He hadn't known what happened back then. He had intended to sleep in his own bed, but woke up in Penelope's bed.
The girls' dormitory had a protective barrier, yet he had ignored it, walked right in, and had a good long sleep.
That time! Could it be that before he fell asleep, he had unconsciously passed through the girls' dormitory barrier?
Why the girls' dorm?
Could it be that in his subconscious, his own dorm room wasn't safe enough?
If everything was as Rowena said, then what was the unsafe factor his subconscious perceived? Or rather, who was it?
---
Doubts sprang up instantly. The more he learned, the more he didn't understand.
Danger seemed to be everywhere.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Rey tore open Agnes's letters and began to read.
The content wasn't complicated. The first two letters were about the results of the treatment for Willy Bruce's daughter.
After a month of treatment, she had woken up. With another month, she should be fully recovered. Now that two months had passed, she was likely back to full health.
This was indeed very good news. Agnes also mentioned that Willy Bruce and his daughter wanted to thank him in person.
The remaining letters were written out of concern for Rey's safety because he hadn't replied in time.
Rey hadn't appeared for two months. Agnes had come to the Leaky Cauldron to find him, but Tom had stalled her with some excuse. However, the letters Agnes wrote were delivered directly by owl. Since she never got a reply, she had written five letters over the two months.
These details were all mentioned in the letters, giving Rey a rough idea of the sequence of events.
Unknowingly, taking a nap had caused quite a bit of trouble.
He didn't know how much impact the barrier his subconscious set up—the one that refused entry to humans—had caused. Had it caused a scene? Did the Ministry of Magic know?
"If that's the case, then this really is trouble."
Rey sighed lightly in his heart. After washing up quickly, he opened the door and walked out.
---
When Rey stepped out of his room, he ran into Julia, who was cleaning. She froze for a moment, then said with surprise, "You're finally awake. That was a long sleep."
The Leaky Cauldron looked the same as it had two months ago. However, the downstairs pub was much more crowded.
In the blink of an eye, more than two months had passed. The start of the new school term was approaching, and more people were passing through the Leaky Cauldron to get to Diagon Alley.
Old Tom, with his receding hairline, stood behind the counter, pouring sweet wine for the coming and going guests. Seeing Rey walk downstairs, he practicedly grabbed a glass and poured Rey a drink.
He didn't seem very surprised that Rey had woken up at this time.
Walking to the counter, Rey sat on a high stool, took a sip of the drink, and looked at Tom. "Uncle, aren't you surprised at all?"
"No. I was quite surprised at the beginning. I even notified Dumbledore about it. But it's been two months—do you think I need to stay surprised forever?
"Don't worry, not many people know about your situation. Dumbledore specifically gave instructions about that."
"Dumbledore knows too?"
Hearing Tom's words, Rey rubbed his temples helplessly. It seemed the commotion was indeed big enough.
"Relax. Aside from the people I just mentioned, no one else knows. Besides, Dumbledore said you would probably wake up in the next few days. In the wizarding world, it's not unheard of for wizards to sleep for a long time due to injuries. You don't need to worry about that.
"However, a friend of yours named Agnes Greengrass came looking for you. I could tell she was very worried. Since you're awake, remember to let her know."
"Okay, Uncle Tom. I know."
Rey downed the drink in one gulp, nodded, and spoke with certainty.